


Nagging Feeling

by AwkwardPlatypus13



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hoshi Meguri (IDOLiSH7), Fear of Abandonment, M/M, Post-Hoshimeg Occurrences
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:48:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25161151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwkwardPlatypus13/pseuds/AwkwardPlatypus13
Summary: Coda's been the leader of Burst Roar for some time now, yet Fang hasn't gone on a trip with them for a while, putting doubts in Coda's mind if Fang needs him anymore.
Relationships: Fang & Coda
Kudos: 15





	Nagging Feeling

“Don’t get on Captain’s bad side today,” a crewman aboard  _ Burst Roar _ warned in a low voice to another member.

“Oh no, he didn’t show up again, did he…?”

The first crewman shook his head regretfully. “He looked all over down below among the goods then stormed into his quarters.”

“This is gonna be a loooong trip to Lama…”

It had been seven years since the Shards fiasco, and ten months since Fang had officially made Coda the leader of Burst Roar. Although Fang had promised he would continue to make appearances on voyages when he had a break from his royal duties, he had stopped stowing away on the ship about five months ago. Even coming by for a visit had become difficult in the past month for Coda, since oftentimes Fang’s attendants would turn him away claiming the king was too busy for visitors. 

The last time Coda had managed to see him was a week ago, for only ten minutes. 

“I’ll try to make time for a trip soon, but you know how much my schedule changes,” Fang said as he lounged sideways on his throne while flipping through a parchment. 

“I am planning a trip to Lama to trade...Erin mentioned it would be fun to see you again,” Coda tried to drop a hint, but scowled at Fang’s seeming lack of attention. He waited for a response from his king, but receiving only a vague nod made him sigh heavily. 

Finally Fang looked up. “I’ll see what I can do, okay?” He flashed his typical flamboyant smile that signaled he was not taking any more comments.

Coda rigidly bowed and quietly replied, “That’s all I can hope for,” before turning and leaving.

The entire voyage to Lama, Coda remained in his cabin, stewing in his own frustrations. Had Fang finally grown tired of him? That must have been why he stopped showing up and didn’t seem to care to pay attention to him in the rare opportunities they had together. It’s not that he expected Fang to pay him a certain amount of attention, but after everything they had been through, it didn’t seem fair to be treated this way. He tried to push out the memory, but each passing day of Fang giving him the cold shoulder cemented it further.  _ “As of now, the journey with Burst Roar ends.”  _ What if Fang really did want that journey to end? Coda just couldn’t accept it.

Coda did his best to finish up business in Lama as quickly and efficiently as possible so he could get back to Bestia. He was determined to seek out Fang and address him once and for all on what his intentions were with him and the rest of Burst Roar. All Coda had left to do was offer goods of goodwill to King Orion. He took one member of Burst Roar along to help transport the goods and entered the Lama palace. As he walked the iron-colored halls and listened to their feet making hollow connection with the steel floors, Coda could have sworn he caught sight of the wisps of a red ponytail disappearing around a pillar further down the hall. He cautioned his steps and squinted to try to see if he could see anything else.

As Coda got closer, he crept up to the pillar and jumped around it with a shout, expecting to surprise whoever was hiding there. Nobody was there. He glanced and turned around, searching perplexedly, but he saw no evidence of anyone being there. Shaking off the confusion, Coda turned back to his path and took a step forward.

“BOO!” a man shouted as he leaped down from a small ledge right in front of Coda.

“Gyaa!” Coda’s ears sprang out from under his hat as he nearly fell backwards, but his startled crewmate caught his fall. “Erin! How did you—”

Coda’s annoyance was drowned out by Erin’s uproar of laughter as he bent over holding his stomach. “I got you soooo good!! Ahahaha!! You two were so focused on the lower part of the pillar that you couldn't see me repelling up the back of it and climbing up that high. The looks on your faces were amazing!!”

Despite his sour mood, seeing Erin in such a tickled state forced a small smile out of Coda. “It is good to see you again, Erin...” he said as he tucked his ears back under his hat.

Erin flung himself back into an upright position and smiled widely. “Yeah, same here! You’re here to see King, right? He’s busy with someone right now, but it’s probably fine for you to come in anyways. C’mon with me!” He began running down the hallway, looking behind once to smile and wave his arm to beckon them onward.

“But wouldn’t we be interrupt—hold on a second, Erin, you’re running too fast! Wait up for us!”

They arrived in front of the large iron doors that led to Orion’s throne room. Erin was leaning against the door with his arms crossed, a playful smirk dancing across his face. “You’re pretty slow. Welp, anyways, have fun with the kings!” With that, Erin pulled open one of the doors and hurriedly ushered in Coda and his crewmate into the room before slipping in himself. 

“K-kings??” That was all Coda could question before he stopped short and stared with mouth agape. 

He was met with the sight of Orion sitting at a chess table with his elbows on the edge of it, his hands folded and propping up his chin as he scrutinized the board. His opponent was sitting sideways, legs draped over the arm of the chair, his brown ears twitching in combination with his confident laughter. Neither of them had noticed their new visitors.

“I don’t know how you do it every time…” Orion mumbled as he knocked his king over. “I give up.”

“Your problem is you think too far ahead.” his opponent sat up properly in his seat and began resetting the board. “Coda has that same issue when we—”

“So this is how you spend your time now, Fang…” Coda’s voice quavered as his body became stiff. He turned quickly before anyone could react and stormed out of the throne room.

“Coda, wait!” Fang tried to call after him as he shot out of his chair and chased after him.

Orion sighed loudly. “Erin. Why on earth would you let the pup in here after Fang expressly told you NOT to?”

“Because it would be a whole lot more fun to watch than you get trounced at chess again,” Erin stuck his tongue out playfully before scampering away from Orion’s iron glare.

Fang spent the next half hour searching around the palace and surrounding area for Coda. Running out of ideas on where he could have escaped to, Fang headed to the place  _ Burst Roar _ usually took port. He immediately boarded the vessel, bypassing the startled crew who tried to ask him what he was doing there. Down into the storage compartment he went, going right to a partially recessed section that was nearly closed off by a large crate. As he got closer, he slowed his steps once he heard soft sniffling.

“...Coda...I’m sorry…” Fang said quietly as he rounded the crate and saw Coda crouched down sitting on his haunches with his hat in hand.

“Back then...I thought you didn't want me,” Coda spoke, ignoring the apology and not looking up, “and now I see that I was right.”

Fang blinked hard, the words stinging his eyes. “That isn’t—”

“You lied to me…” Slowly Coda turned his head to face him, showing his lifeless ears and tear tracks on his cheeks. “You really don’t need me anymore, do you?”

“Coda, that’s not—”

“Just tell me the truth!” he stood up and faced him fully. His eyes flashed with anguish as new tears surfaced.

Fang was quiet at first, but finally said, “Come sit down for a minute...please?”

Coda reluctantly sat on one of the crates Fang had gestured to and tightly closed his mouth. He still couldn’t bring himself to directly look at him.

“I never said I didn’t want you, Coda. And I know back when I said my time with Burst Roar was over I had to lie to you too, but that was the only time I lied. I told you I am both the king of Bestia and leader of—”

“And yet you made me leader of Burst Roar!” Coda nearly shouted. “I didn’t ask for it, you threw it on me. Then you stopped coming along completely, and not even talking to me when I saw you. You don’t want to be around me anymore, admit it!”

Fang hung his head and sighed. “That’s not it at all…” He looked up, his face sincere and serious, more so than Coda had ever seen. “I made you leader as a temporary thing because I had to settle some issues between clan relations. There was a point I was gonna take over for you again, but...I saw how well you were doing, and how much you seemed to enjoy leading things...I figured I must not have been needed as your leader anymore, that you’d outgrown me. So I let you handle things on your own.”

Coda stared at him and knit his brows together. “I was enjoying it because you were there, Fang… I-I’ll always need you, you idiot...you’re the only family I have...please, don’t throw me away.”

The corners of Fang’s eyes glistened and his pointed ears fell slightly. He pulled Coda into a hug and ruffled his hair. “I’d never throw you away. I’m sorry again, Coda. I promise I won’t leave you like that again.”

Feebly resisting the hug, Coda asked, “Does this mean you’ll rejoin Burst Roar?”

Fang let him go and looked outward. “...As leader? Probably not. But as your mentor and companion, yeah I’ll show up every now and then.”

“One more question...then why did you ignore me so much even when it wasn’t about Burst Roar?”

Fang sighed and slumped forward. “Well now that you’ve asked me directly I can’t keep it hidden anymore. I’ve been planning a birthday party for you, since you’re turning a special age and all. I knew that if I talked to you too much I would accidentally spoil the surprise. I was here in Lama to invite Orion to the celebration.”

Coda stared blankly at Fang. “All of that...for my birthday...this really is just like you…” Finally Coda smiled and chuckled, until it turned into a freeing laugh of relief and happiness, all of his fears falling off his shoulders.

“Yeah, I guess it is,” Fang put an arm around his shoulders and joined him in laughter. After they settled down he took Coda’s hat and sloppily put it on Coda’s head. “Now come on, let’s go invite Orion properly and finish your business with him. Then we can head back to Bestia together and you can give me a full update on the past few months.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” Coda smiled again as he adjusted his hat and allowed Fang to lead the way off the ship. 


End file.
